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Glenn Consagra
Real Name: Glenn Fred Consagra Case: Appeal Date: April 16, 1978 Location: Clearwater, Florida Case Details: On the night of April 16, 1978, Glenn Consagra and his two best friends, Freddie Douberley and Mary Lou Holmes, went by boat to Honeymoon Island near Clearwater, Florida, to party. At some point in the night, Freddie and Mary Lou are shot dead. Glenn is charged with two counts of murder, but pleads guilty to avoid the death penalty. Now, he claims that he is innocent. Interestingly, a private investigator and a special task force from the public defender's office back up his story. According to Glenn, the three went to the island to celebrate the birth of his grandchild. He claims that while on their way to the island, their boat broke down. However, they were still able to land on a nearby spoil bank at 10PM. The spoil bank was about halfway to their intended destination. They decided to stay, build a campfire, and continue to party. According to Glenn, at some point during the night, the couple started arguing, so he decided to take a nap nearby behind a bait tank. A few hours later, he heard the sounds of gunshots next to him. He knew something was wrong as they did not bring weapons with them. He waited a few minutes until he heard the sound of a boat leaving. He then discovered that the campsite was in disarray and someone had tried to sink their boat. Freddie and Mary Lou were nowhere to be found. Fearing for his safety, Glenn used a Styrofoam lid as a flotation device and swam back to land. At dawn, he arrived back at the dock that they had left from hours earlier. For some reason, he decided to invent a story about what happened at the spoil bank. He said that Freddie and Mary Lou had taken the boat to buy beer and never returned. He did not mention anything about the gunshots. He claimed that he was afraid that the killers would find and kill him if they knew he was a witness. Three days later, the coast guard found Freddie and Mary Lou's bodies. They were naked and tied to a boat engine and anchor. Freddie had been shot twice with a .22 caliber weapon while Mary Lou had been shot twice with a shotgun. Glenn had been seen with a shotgun and a .22 in the days before the murders. Investigators discovered that Glenn and Mary Lou had an apparent sexual relationship. They also discovered that Freddie was supposed to pay Glenn for a car he had bought from him, but he never did. When talking to a witness about Freddie, Glenn reportedly said "I'll take care of him". The Sheriff's Department also learned of rumors that Freddie was a police informant and that he had fingered Glenn as being involved in a stolen property ring. A witness claimed that Glenn had threatened Freddie and Mary Lou, saying "I'll throw you to the crabs". He also said that Glenn had asked him to provide him an alibi for the night of the murders. Another witness said that Glenn had borrowed a blue rug in order to conceal a gun; this rug was found at the crime scene. As a result of this evidence, Glenn was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Before the start of his trial, however, Glenn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to serve two life sentences as a result. He proclaims his innocence in their murders, adding that he only pleaded guilty to avert a death sentence. Glenn's family contacted private investigator Steve Millwee, who gave Glenn two polygraph tests. He passed both tests, but prosecutors dismissed them as unreliable. Steve tracked down several of the witnesses from the original investigation and found some inconsistencies in their stories. He also located "Donna", a woman who claimed that she had gone to the island that night with two of Glenn's associates. According to her, one of the associates, "Ted", was a key witness that implicated Glenn. Ted was angry at Freddie for being a police informant so he went to the island to kill him. According to Donna, he forced her to participate in the murders, placing the .22 in her hand and making her shoot Freddie. The other man killed Mary Lou for being a witness. The Sheriff's Department, however, does not believe that Donna is credible, as she has been repeatedly diagnosed with schizophrenia. She reportedly has made fabricated stories before. However, Glenn's public defender notes that Donna should not be discredited just because of her mental problems. After being questioned by Millwee, Donna was questioned by Sheriff's investigators. She told six different stories, each conflicting with one another. In some of the stories, she claimed that the murders took place on Honeymoon Island. However, in each story, she did state that Ted was involved. Later, she recanted her statements, claiming that she had never been to the island. Other evidence at the scene also suggested that more than one person was involved in the murders. Witnesses heard a single barrage of shots. It would not make sense for him to use two different weapons to commit the murders. Freddie and Mary Lou's bodies together weighed nearly 300 pounds. Adding the weight of the anchor and the boat engine, it seemed unlikely that Glenn himself could carry that much down the beach and into the water. Also, it would not make sense for Glenn to sink his own boat, as it would leave him at the crime scene with no easy way back to shore. According to Glenn and his supporters, this evidence suggests that he is innocent and someone else was responsible for the murders. Suspects: Glenn was considered the prime suspect from the beginning and pleaded guilty to the murders. However, he now maintains his innocence. A private investigator has found a witness, "Donna", who claimed that she was forced to participate in the murders. She claimed that the person who forced her to participate was "Ted", an associate of Glenn's who was a key witness in the original investigation. However, Donna's mental illness and changing stories have caused her to loose credibility as a witness. Extra Notes: This segment appeared on Special #3 which aired September 24, 1987. Some sources spell his first name as "Glen". Results: Unresolved. The state of Florida conducted three separate investigations; all of them concluded Glenn was guilty. He was paroled on December 22, 1992, but he died suddenly of a heart attack on August 21, 1996; he was fifty-six. He was never successful in proving his innocence, and the belief in his supporters are that Freddie and Mary Lou's killer or killers are still at large. However, the police and the state of Florida considers the case closed. Links: * Man Charged in Two Deaths * 'Best Friend' Charged in Couple's Murder * Murder Cases May Be Heard * Judge steps down from trial hearing two murder charges * Judge removes lawyers from boating murder case * Murder suspect now has lawyer * Consagra pleads guilty, no contest in murders * Consagra changes pleas to murders * Deputy honored for solving murders * Convicts entertain dying children * SitcomsOnline Discussion about Glenn Consagra * SitcomsOnline Discussion about Glenn Consagra 2 ---- Category:Florida Category:1978 Category:Murder Category:Wrongly-Accused Cases Category:Sea-Related Cases Category:Unresolved